Video Games Violence and Aggression

Video Games, Violence and Aggression

The Effect of Video Games on Violence and Aggression

Numerous arguments over video games primarily center on topics such as sexism, nudity, racial profiling, sex and criminal behavior as well as other provocative material. Many conflicting results have been brought out of research and study of the relation between video games and its assumed effects of violence and aggressive behavior. Here, aggression is defined as behavior intended to harm another individual who is motivated to avoid that harm. Emotion, effect, or aggressive thought, plan or wish are not included .This means it includes attempts to harm regardless of if the harm was committed or not. Violence on the other hand is refers to extreme forms of aggression, such as assault and murder. In essence, all violence is aggression but the reverse is not true.

Literature Review

According to Anderson & Ford, 1986, Ballard & Wiest 1995, playing violent video games does indeed alleviate levels of aggression. Similarly, Cooper & Mackie, 1986 Graybill, Kirsch & Esselman, 1985 claim there is no relation between the two. Even though Dill and Dill's (1998) deductive literature review claimed that a causal relationship existed between playing video games and aggression, they later published in their journal in another review (Griffiths,1999) that methodological incapacities in literature prevented a clear conclusion. These reviewers agree that many of the research tasks have been inconsistent. John L. Sherry (Ph.D, Michigan State University, 1998) research deduced that video games do indeed relate to changes aggression and violence levels but only with other independent variables playing a part.

Hypotheses

Playing violent content video games does result in increased aggression and violence. This is based on theories connected to violent television viewing that result in social learning, neo-associative networks, stimulation and catharsis. Violence and aggression applied in games is learnt and the brain may refer to the knowledge in a situation by activating and application of aggression-related information in memory

Method

Meta-analysis

Meta-analysis is a 'study of studies', a correlation coefficient (r) is used as effect-size estimate .when r=±.10 it is classified as small. r=±.30 is medium while ±.50 is large. This phase is split into (a) selection criteria for inclusion (b) acquisition of the effect size estimates from the studies and (c) analysis of the effect sizes. Data that falls into all set criteria is computed to find a general effect size estimate.

Literature search procedures

Articles that contained inspection of the effects of playing violent video games were considered relevant; these effects include aggression, physiological arousal or pro-social behavior. Studies excluded if participants merely watched someone else play a video game.

Hypothetical Results